Sand Car Independent Rear Suspension

Authors

Zach Wiberg, University of the Pacific
Michael Baron, University of the Pacific
Rachel Escalona, University of the Pacific
Vinh Hoang, University of the Pacific

Lead Author Major

Mechanical Engineering

Format

SOECS Senior Project Demonstration

Faculty Mentor Name

Kyle Watson

Faculty Mentor Department

Mechanical Engineering

Abstract/Artist Statement

The current rear suspension design of the sand car consists of an extended swing arm with a solid axle connecting the drive wheels. This design only works well for flat surfaces and for going straight. An independent rear suspension would allow for greater suspension travel, which would allow the vehicle to keep all four wheels on the ground while operating on uneven terrain. Since most existing independent rear suspension kits on the market are made for two or four-seat sand cars, which are much bigger than our single-seat car, we have designed and fabricated our own suspension system. The design process for our suspension included building a 3D Solidworks model, running finite element analysis on our model based on a static load to see how the stress was distributed in the suspension system, and assembly of the system. Our new design gives the all-terrain vehicle better mobility, vehicle stability, and improved ground clearance while also shortening the vehicles length.

Location

School of Engineering & Computer Science

Start Date

27-4-2013 2:00 PM

End Date

27-4-2013 3:30 PM